The challenges of India's growth for water and sanitation

Jun 2008

India

Whilst the growth in India’s population and
industrial economy continues unabated,
the lack of attention to the water and sanitation
infrastructure is a cause for concern.
Although the government is increasing infrastructure
expenditure year-on-year,
population increases and the continued
migration to urban areas means that much
still remains to be done. However, with
water and sanitation systems often left
behind in the call on resources, excessive
leakage and pollution are building up costs
for today and serious health problems for
the future.

Throughout the last half century the migration of the rural
population to the large cities in India has continued unabated.
This has put huge strains on the infrastructure in those cities. In
fact, in the fifty years between 1951 to 2001, the urban population
has risen by over 350% to 280 million.

Sanitation and health

The link between poor sanitation and disease is well known, and
water borne diseases thrive where there are no adequate toilet
facilities. The bar chart below shows the percentage of Indian
homes without a toilet as revealed in the 2001 census.

The water landscape

The development of these mega-cities, without the continuous
upgrading of water distribution systems, has lead to high levels
of leakage in most major cities. In order to reduce leakage levels,
water supply is often restricted to just a few hours a day – as
shown in the table below.

Moreover, at the recent IWA Conference the contamination of
the existing water reserves in many parts of India raised a major
concern. In Rajasthan for example, where the population largely
depends on ground water supplies, many of the sources are
severely contaminated with fluoride and nitrates.

Water for the World activities in India

Borouge and Borealis are actively working with partners on a number of water and sanitation projects in India.

Bangalore
Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor partners are working to
bring water and sanitation to 90,000 people in slums on the
outskirts of Bangalore.

Malkapur
In a pilot project initiated by the Maharashtra State Government,
Borouge, together with pipe manufacturer Kimplas, is working
to deliver reliable, uninterrupted water supplies to 30,000 people
in the village of Malkapur, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Andhra Pradesh
In 2006 Borouge worked with the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust to
build a reliable water supply system for 500,000 people in 450
water-scarce villages in the east and west Godavari districts of
Andhra Pradesh.